Infants from a young age have an affinity for dolls. This affinity often extends to the formation of a relational bond between a person and a doll that extends beyond childhood and into adulthood. Traditionally, dolls have been formed of rigid materials able to receive emulative doll features or, alternatively, dolls have been made of a stuffed fabric skin, that while not emulative of the facial features of a doll, intends to offer a soft compressible textile sensation. As a result, a child must choose between a doll having visually emulative doll features formed in porcelain, plastic, clay, or other rigid material that has a cold, lifeless feel, or be content with a doll that is visually abstract, yet has a comforting, compressive feel. Prior art attempts to create dolls that are a hybrid have, as to date, been unsatisfactory.
Behavioral science has established touching a tactically pleasing object has a calming effect on an individual. Additionally, it has been shown that visual appearance is an important factor in bonding and recognition. Conventional dolls have forced an individual to choose between visual and tactile sensory satisfaction.
Thus, there is a need for a plush article having a graphic image emulative of a person, animal, or object that retains the attractive tactile sensation of the plush article.